Are the elves really that boring ?

[wintercub]

A couple of days ago i came up with an idea for a novel: "a dying world weakened by hundreds of years of war and disease, where the ways of magic are lost and the only remaining people are the elven clans who now fight each other to survive and to take what's left of the world." that's basically the core of the story. . .

Now the problem is some of my friends and other people keep saying that elves aren't cool and interesting anymore and that there's just already to many tales and stereotypes surrounding this race.

Well I'm quite aware of the stereotypes and I will at my best try to avoid it. I was thinking of adding certain elements like cannibalism, rape, incest, etc. Things that are definitely not the common " elven ideal of perfect ".

So I really needed some opinions about the race choice and the story in general. . .

thanks

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

I think it could work well if you're showing them regressing to a barbaric state. That would certainly be a spin I haven't seen before.

 

[chinookpilot77]

I like all the elf stuff...I actually prefer a series that is dominated by humans, but still has a healthy dose of "other" beings running around. I love dark fantasy, but man, give me a tasslehoff for comic relief any day!

 

[wintercub]

I think it could work well if you're showing them regressing to a barbaric state. That would certainly be a spin I haven't seen before.

yes that is exactly what i was thinking of, turning the once peaceful and good nations of the elves into cruel and savage societies who only seek power at any cost.

 

[Philip Overby]

Elves are cool if the writer makes them cool. Make them cool and put them in your story if you want them there.

 

[wintercub]

I like all the elf stuff...I actually prefer a series that is dominated by humans, but still has a healthy dose of "other" beings running around. I love dark fantasy, but man, give me a tasslehoff for comic relief any day!

yeah i usually like a big dose of other races in my tales but in this case i think its better if i just stick to the elves.

 

[wintercub]

Elves are cool if the writer makes them cool. Make them cool and put them in your story if you want them there.

Thanks i will

 

[robertbevan]

elves aren't inherently boring or exciting. the particular set of characters you're writing have to be interesting, or nobody is going to give a damn what shape their ears are.

the setting of your story sounds cool, but what's the actual story? zoom in on this world until you find your protagonist and what it is that he or she wants.

 

[Varamyrr]

You have all the power you need. Step away from the default elf we know (beautiful, magical, ...). Instead, turn them into a race that has got the same flaws and sins as any other human race would. Even then, you can still play around with your characters..

 

[wintercub]

elves aren't inherently boring or exciting. the particular set of characters you're writing have to be interesting, or nobody is going to give a damn what shape their ears are.

the setting of your story sounds cool, but what's the actual story? zoom in on this world until you find your protagonist and what it is that he or she wants.

well I'm having some trouble in creating the main chars.
I was thinking about a cruel and sadistic princess who seeks to rediscover the forgotten ways of magic and gain the upper hand in the war of the clans or maybe a lone assassin who travels across the land for work while trying to find the shattered pieces of his dark and mysterious past... i just have so many ideas but its hard to connect them all into a credible and good storyline. . .

 

[wintercub]

You have all the power you need. Step away from the default elf we know (beautiful, magical, ...). Instead, turn them into a race that has got the same flaws and sins as any other human race would. Even then, you can still play around with your characters..

yes i'm making an effort to erase all the stereotypes of the race and to create credible characters who are mortal, have weaknesses and fears, characters that make mistakes and bad decisions that will eventually get them killed.

 

[ShortHair]

well I'm having some trouble in creating the main chars. ...
i just have so many ideas but its hard to connect them all into a credible and good storyline. . .

I would come up with an event or a powerful magic item/spell/ability that threatens the status quo. "We've got to act now or the entire world is doomed!" is always good motivation for characters. That will give you a focal point to include/exclude characters and plot points. Once you've done that, you can always pick another focal point.

Sounds like a good idea, by the way.

 

[wintercub]

I would come up with an event or a powerful magic item/spell/ability that threatens the status quo. "We've got to act now or the entire world is doomed!" is always good motivation for characters. That will give you a focal point to include/exclude characters and plot points. Once you've done that, you can always pick another focal point.

Sounds like a good idea, by the way.

Wow you're absolutely right ! its gets a lot more easier to come up with the plot.

Thank you so much!

 

[Amanita]

yes i'm making an effort to erase all the stereotypes of the race and to create credible characters who are mortal, have weaknesses and fears, characters that make mistakes and bad decisions that will eventually get them killed.

What's the point of using elves rather than humans then? What does make them different from humans? Why do you want to have these differences in your story? Maybe answering this will help you to answer the question in the title as well.

 

[lovecow]

I like the idea you got going on .
Twist them elves into something new.
As to story Can i suggest some of my ideas.
I'd keep other races in the story . Could make them some sort of night peole, hiding from elfs in the day attacking by night. That way you can brake up some of the elf on elf action with new dangers. And mabye I smell a quest to heal the world coming on . Re-finding magic and inner beauty. As to elves not being cool, they got pointy ears ...how COOL is that

 

[BWFoster78]

I guess I'll take the contrary position.

First though, a caveat: If you are passionate about elves, you should write about elves despite what your friends say or what I say or what anyone says.

I'd start first by asking, what is your primary goal? If it's:

1) to write the story you want to read, then why are you asking our opinion. Write your story.
2) to get rich and famous by writing something that will be made into movies, then good luck. I have no idea how to achieve this goal. If you figure it out, please let us know.
3) to find the largest possible audience for your work, then I'm not sure that elves are the right choice. Since they are such a well know fantasy race, you already have a lot of people who don't want anything to do with them. I pretty much immediately dismiss reading a book if it has elves. Admittedly, some people may read it just for their inclusion. I think, though, that most people who love elves will read a book even if they're not included while people who hate elves aren't going to even consider it.

Just a few thoughts. Please drink lots of water to help with the hugh amount of salt you need.

 

[wintercub]

What's the point of using elves rather than humans then? What does make them different from humans? Why do you want to have these differences in your story? Maybe answering this will help you to answer the question in the title as well.

Just let me explain

In this world the humans and possibly other races are extinct due to constant warfare and excessive use of destructive magic. The only ones left where the elves, because of their superior combat skills, weaponry, greater resistance to disease and extended lifetime. But as the years passed, The clans mentality was changed by hundreds of years of constant war and by seeing their homes destroyed. The elves became a cruel and cold hearted people and started to fight each other to reclaim what was left of their homes and their world.

I just think for once there should be a fantasy story where humans are not the center of everything, where they do not even exist anymore and i think the elves are the perfect race to take the main role.

 

[wintercub]

I like the idea you got going on .
Twist them elves into something new.
As to story Can i suggest some of my ideas.
I'd keep other races in the story . Could make them some sort of night peole, hiding from elfs in the day attacking by night. That way you can brake up some of the elf on elf action with new dangers. And mabye I smell a quest to heal the world coming on . Re-finding magic and inner beauty. As to elves not being cool, they got pointy ears ...how COOL is that

well i'll be adding some new dangers as the story keeps on going, and it will probably involve another race(s). Also the goal of one of the main chars will be the search for the lost ways of magic.

I see we have very similar ideas and as for the pointy ears, totally agree with you

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

Just let me explain

In this world the humans and possibly other races are extinct due to constant warfare and excessive use of destructive magic. The only ones left where the elves, because of their superior combat skills, weaponry, greater resistance to disease and extended lifetime. But as the years passed, The clans mentality was changed by hundreds of years of constant war and by seeing their homes destroyed. The elves became a cruel and cold hearted people and started to fight each other to reclaim what was left of their homes and their world.

I just think for once there should be a fantasy story where humans are not the center of everything, where they do not even exist anymore and i think the elves are the perfect race to take the main role.

The idea is turning the typical idea of elves on its head. As I said before, I like this angle.

However, you need reasons other than "years of struggle turned them cruel". After all, as a race they won by surviving.

I think you'll be better served if you have factions within the race competing for vanishing resources, the few remaining habitable areas, kidnapping mates because isolation has weakened the gene pool.... Things like that. Give valid arguments for the change of an entire race & their in-fighting.

Also, consider how long ago did these wars take place? How have the different factions changed from one another due to separation? There's a ton of different directions you could go with this (cultural differences, language dialects, physical appearance, etc.). Hell if you wanted to, you could have them initially appear like different races altogether and slowly reveal that they were once all elves of the same ilk. Tons of ways to approach it... Just be creative & have fun doing it.

 

[wintercub]

I guess I'll take the contrary position.

First though, a caveat: If you are passionate about elves, you should write about elves despite what your friends say or what I say or what anyone says.

I'd start first by asking, what is your primary goal? If it's:

1) to write the story you want to read, then why are you asking our opinion. Write your story.
2) to get rich and famous by writing something that will be made into movies, then good luck. I have no idea how to achieve this goal. If you figure it out, please let us know.
3) to find the largest possible audience for your work, then I'm not sure that elves are the right choice. Since they are such a well know fantasy race, you already have a lot of people who don't want anything to do with them. I pretty much immediately dismiss reading a book if it has elves. Admittedly, some people may read it just for their inclusion. I think, though, that most people who love elves will read a book even if they're not included while people who hate elves aren't going to even consider it.

Just a few thoughts. Please drink lots of water to help with the hugh amount of salt you need.

well never thought of that before i guess .

I just wanted some opinions about the choice of the elves for primary race and also if the story ideas were good enough to stick with them.

but thanks you make a very good point